Technical Services Senior Operative / Pharmacy Technician

Job summary

We are looking for an enthusiastic, motivated individual to work within our busy Pharmacy Technical Services sector at Ipswich Hospital to cover maternity leave until 31st August 2026. This service covers the preparation of medicines used within the treatment of cancer.

You will be involved in providing specialist support to the Technical Services team by undertaking pre and in-process checking of chemotherapy and other agents, supervising the team of Technicians and Assistants within the cleanrooms, assisting in managing stock control within the Chemotherapy Preparation Unit and preparation of Cytotoxic and Monoclonal Antibody preparations.

You should ideally have experience of supervising / co-ordinating staff and workflow. You must be flexible and react positively to change with the ability to work within Pharmacy Technical Service at Ipswich Hospital. You must be able to follow written procedures, work under supervision and complete tasks accurately to set deadlines. You will be working in our cleanrooms.

If you are interested in contributing to the care of patients using practical skills with an ability to work under your own initiative, good communication skills, a high level of accuracy and are keen to develop your skills then you may be suited to this type of role.

We would consider a developmental role at a lower banding with set competency targets.

Internal applicants currently employed by ESNEFT will be offered on a secondment basis only

Main duties of the job

• Work in partnership with the CPU management team in the provision of a high quality, cost effective and efficient patient centred pharmacy service to the trust.
• To supervise the team of technicians and assistants within the cleanrooms, involved in the delivery of the service and to support the co-ordination of the day-to-day running of the unit and its staff, including liaising with the admin team and heads of departments for staff shortages.
• To deputise for the Chief Pharmacy Technician in their absence, as required by the CPU manager, in the running of the CPU.
• Support the professional development of technicians and assistants within the Chemotherapy Preparation Unit (CPU), ensuring that staff have read, understood and received appropriate training for all relevant SOP's. Contributing to the writing and delivering of the CPU staff training pack for bands 2/3 and 5.
• Contribute to the induction and mentoring of new staff within the CPU and provide support as necessary to Technicians, student Technicians, Assistants and other relevant members of the pharmacy team in education and training.

About us

We are ESNEFT and we provide hospital and community health services to almost one million people across east Suffolk and north Essex. Our dedicated staff deliver care from acute hospitals in Colchester and Ipswich, community hospitals, surgeries, community clinics and in patients' own homes.

We are one of the largest NHS organisations in England, employing more than 12,000 staff.

We pride ourselves on supporting our staff. We offer a wide range of training and development opportunities, as well as flexible working options.

Along with supporting you to achieve your career goals we offer a generous pension scheme, unsocial hours payments (where applicable), 27 days annual leave on commencement (pro rata) and access to a range of NHS discounts. Our Staff Health and Wellbeing programme offer a variety of services.

Our philosophy is that Time Matters to everyone. Across the Trust, we concentrate on improving the things we do and removing those which cause time delays for our staff and patients.

We are investing in our commitment to Time Matters with a partnership with leading electronic patient record (EPR) supplier Epic. This digital transformation will bring what's widely regarded as the world's best EPR system to ESNEFT, transforming life in hospital for staff and patients.

If you are passionate about patient care and want to develop your skills and knowledge, then we want to hear from you.

Find out about living and working here - www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkPu7HphU8A

Employer details

Employer name

East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Ipswich Hospital

Main Road

Ipswich

IP4 5PD

Employer's website

https://www.esneft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

---

Employer details

Employer name

East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Ipswich Hospital

Main Road

Ipswich

IP4 5PD

Employer's website

https://www.esneft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

---